In a digital image reproduction apparatus of this kind, a digital image data file is first made by the scanner from a document for copying and these image data are used to control the printing unit. By processing the image data in the meantime it is possible to change them and thus offer functionality which was not possible in optical copying machines, which are frequently referred to as "analogue" machines.
Such processing is, for example, rotation through an angle of 90.degree., so that, for example, a document placed transversely on the positioning section (generally a glass platen or a document feeder) can be printed on an image support (usually a sheet of paper) oriented in the lengthwise direction, i.e. rotated through 90.degree..
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,388 (the '388 patent), use is made of the above rotation functionality by arranging for the scanner to determine the orientation of the original in a pre-scan, comparing the pre-scanned orientation with the orientation of the copy paper in the reservoir, and (in the event of non-agreement) automatically (and unavoidably) rotating the image data through 90.degree., so that the reproduced image nevertheless fits the copy paper. The '388 patent second-guesses the instruction of the user to surmise the user's intent based upon an assumption that a user always desires to copy onto a similarly oriented copy support. As a result, copying of 100% of the original document is carried out even if there is no copy paper present having the same orientation as the original document.
However, such automation sometimes leads to unwanted situations because the user might have specifically wanted to copy onto copy paper of a different orientation. Consider the following scenario. As digital image reproduction apparatuses become more sophisticated, so do their operating systems and user-interfaces. There might be an instance in which a hurried user desires to make a partial copy, i.e. to mask (or not reproduce) a portion of an original document but does not have the time and/or the inclination to learn the most appropriate procedure to accomplish his objective. Such a user might solve his dilemma by using a "quick and dirty" solution of copying a lengthwise-oriented document onto a transversely-oriented image support, i.e. an intentional mismatch. In that case, the automatic behaviour of the prior art machine will surprise the user and even make his intentions impossible.
Because of his experience with analogue copying machines, a user will generally expect the orientation of the produced copy to be the same as that of the original document and on that basis he will choose a specific orientation when applying the document to the positioning section. In the example scenario discussed above, the prior art machine will thwart and frustrate an untrained user who is in a hurry and/or is disinclined to be trained to the most appropriate use of the machine's complicated operating system.